Current-director



UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MOELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONSOLI- DATED OAR HEATING COMPANY, OF l/VHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

CURRENT-DIRECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,643, dated November 22, 1892.

Application filed January 2, 1892. Serial No. 16,803. (N model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: multiple with the other main conductor 13 and Be it known that 1, JAMES F. MOELROY, a one of the branch conductors E F. citizen of theUnited States,residing at Albany, The current-director consists of an outer eyin the county of Albany and State of New lindrical casing G, which may form a part or 5 York, hai e invented certain new and useful extension of the casing of the generator. To Improvements in Current-Directors, of which the inner wall of this are secured in pairs, the following is a specification, reference bepreferably at nearly-opposite points, the coils ing had therein to the accompanying draw- H H and I I. These coils are double bent, ingsgiving them the peculiar form shown, and for 10 This invention relates to new and useful thepurposehereinafter explained. Thisform improvements in current-directors for altercan be readily obtained by bending a coil nating-current dynamos. wound in the ordinary manner in the form The object of my invention is to provide of a U, or it can be wound directly in this improved means for obtaining direct currents form with the help of a former consisting of 15 from alternating currents. The present usual two bars crossing each other, over which the way of accomplishing this is by means of a wire is wound under and over. Suitable cemcommntator on the dynamo; but as such com-- ent may be used to hold the convolutions in mutators are delicate pieces of machinery place after the cross is removed. The coils which require close attention their use is are secured to the casing in anysuitable man- 20 sometimes inadmissible. This is especially ner, such as by means of saddles L, which fit the case in lighting cars by electricity, where into the depressions of the coils, and pole the usual practice is to place the generator pieces K K extend radially into the coils a .upon one of the axles of a car or locomotive small distance, as will more fully hereinafter truck and where from necessity it can be given appear. The pole-pieces K K may be formed 25 but very scant attention. For this class of of a separate piece secured to the casing or, dynamos and similar uses I have designed the as shown in Fig. 4, may be formed integrally W current director hereinafter described, and with the casing.

which can be used and combined with the M isarevolving unwound armature secured generator into one machine. upon the armature-shaft- N of the generator.

0 The invention therefore consists in the pe- This armature is preferably of the form of an culiar construction, arrangement, and combiiron spider, the arms of which are adapted to nation of parts hereinafter described, and extend into the inner depression of the coil definitely pointed out in the claims. as far as possible to form magnetic cores for In the drawings, wherein like letters of refthe same. Of course sufficient clearance must 35 erence indicate corresponding parts in the be provided to allow the spider to revolve.

several views, Figure 1 is an elevation of one The pole-pieces extend only far enough to form of the current-director with the dynamo complete the magnetic system with a pair of and exterior circuits in diagram. Fig. 2 is a spider-arms at the moment of coincidence cross-section of Fig. 1 on line 00 00. Fig. 3 is a therewith. This magnetic system is formed al- 4o detached perspective view of one of the magternatelyin the two coils-thatis, if one pair of net-coils; and Fig. 4 is an elevation of another spider-arms are in coincidence with the poles form of the current-director, which is more K K in one set of coils they are farthest from p coincidence in the other setand the mag- Referring to the construction in Fig. 1, A netic system is thus formed alternately in the 45 represents a current-generator organized for two sets of coils, and the arrangement of parts the production of alternating currents. is such that the coincidence takes place alter- B and 0 represent the two main conductors nately in the two magnetic systems synchrothereof, and D and E represent two branched nously with the production of the currentconductors leading from the main conductor Waves in the generator. 10c

50 0 through the current-director and thence to The coils H H are included in the branches the translating devices, which latter are in D and E, respectively, and the coils I I may be respectively connected into the same branches or be included in independent (open or closed) circuits by themselves or with each other, or they may form choke-coils by themselves.

The operation of the device as shown in Fig. 1 will be readily understood by compar ing it with the action of a transformer. \Vhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the pole-pieces K K of the coils II I exactly coincide with two arms of the spider and form therewith a closed magnetic system or ring with the coils H and I in the same relation to each other as the primary and secondary coils of a transformer. Synchronous with this coincidence a current-wave flows through the conductor O and, dividing through the branches D and E, flows, also, through the coil H, and

a transformer action will therefiore take place between the coils II and I.

It is well known that the amount of current flowing through a primary is equal to the amount of current consumed in the secondary; but as the latter in the case under consideration consumes but little current it will therefore react upon the primary and block the flow of the current through it, and consesequently through the branch D. \Vith the other pair of coils II the conditions at this moment are different. The magnetic circuit is wide open, and practically no iron is within the coils, and therefore all the resistance there is to the flow of the current is the resistance of the Wire in the coil H, which is very slight, and thus practically all the current will flow through the branch E. At the next succeeding current-impulse, which is now in opposite direction, the case is reversed. It is the coils H I which are now closed in the magnetic circuit and block the passage of the current over the branch E, while the magnetic circuit in thecoils H I is wide open, and the current is therefore free to flow through the branch D. Thus instead of a to-and-fro current in the conductors D-E the current will be intermittent, but always in the same direction, and with the use of the other main conductor 13 storage-batteries may be charged and lights maintained in the circuit and the dynamofield supplied with current without the use-of a commutator on the dynamo.

My device is compact and simple. It does not require any attention and produces no sparking.

In the modification shown in Fig. at the choke-coils are omitted and the coils H H" (and consequently the flow of the current through the respective branch circuits) are blocked by the magnetic resistance formed by the closing of the magnetic circuit through either one of these coils. The current pass ing through a coil included in a closed mag.

tro-motive force, as in other current-directors.

Nor do I rely merely upon the opening and closing of magnetic circuits through electromagnets. I have no electro'magnets, except just at the time the magnetic circuit is closed. At other times there is hardly any iron in the coils, and therefore I have only the resistance of the wire of the coil in the open branches. I take the cores of the electro-magnets, so to speak, right out of them and place them on the revolving armature.

The object of forming the coils in the manner described will readily appear to befor the purpose of allowing the cores to be placed on the revolving armature free to move in and out of the coils by the revolution of the armature. This peculiar form of coil, however, would not be needed provided an armature would be made to move axially into and out of the coils.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a current-director, the combination, with a generator, of a divided circuit, a revolving armature, a fixed portion with which the armature coincides, and fixed coils in the branches of the circuit, arranged to embrace the extremities of the armature during the coinciding interval,substantially as described.

2. In a current-director,the combination, with the circuit of an alternating-current dynamo, of two magnetic circuits consisting of fixed and revolving portions alternately coinciding synchronously with the current-waves and two coils in branches of said circuit, said coils being placed on the fixed portions of the magnetic circuit with their convolution doubled or bent to embrace the extreme portions of the revolving armature at the moment of coincidence, substantially as described.

3. In a current-director, the combination, with a generator, of a revolving armature having a series of radiating arms, a divided circuit, looped coils in the branches, through which the extremities of the arms pass, and fixed cores for the coils, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. MCELROY. Witnesses:

EDWIN A. SMITH, GEO. A. 

